Self-acting electrical rope-straining device.



No. 820,464. PATENTED MAY 15, 1906.

O. ADAM.

SELF ACTING ELECTRICAL ROPE STRAINING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.16. 1905.

' UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

orro ADAM, or DRE'sDEm'GERMAnY. SEL F -ACTINGELECT FIICAL ROPE-STRAINlNG DEVICE- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1906.:

Application the February 16, rats. Serial 1%. 245.871.

feeding-rope arranged ina circuit or of any tight rope along which a trolley or the like is moved y automatic means, while allowing Y of varying the distance of the stationary rollers around which the rope is taken or the dis- 7 tance of the fixed points between which the rope is to be ke t taut; This is especially of importance in t e case of loading coal or the like fromra boat ortrailer towed by a ship and into the latter or, inversely, from the towing-boat into the towed boat or other conveyance, inasmuch as in this operation the distances of the fixed points are changing in consequence of the undulatin movement of the water or in consequence o differences inthe speed of both vessels or boats.

and 2 repjrles ent diagrammatical 's kind, the movement of the r0 e,

On the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 rope of t as well as the constant uniform tension of t e same, being effected by one and the same electric motor. Figs. 3 and A illustratea modified form-of construction, where the movement of the rope and the tension ofthe ropeare eflected by diiierent motors.

The two ships are connected to each other by means, of a trailing or dragging tow, the

guide-rollers 'a, cbeinglarranged on one and the guide-rollers d eon t e other ship in the wellknown manner, so that the endless feed is represented by a rope taken around the sald rollers. This rope, however, is not guided directly around the sheaf or pulley 1' of the electric motor; but it is first taken aroundtwo tension-rollers s s, which are connected to each other by a system of compound pulleys,

a so that the endless'rope is guided over the guide-roller a, the tension-roller s, the motor-pulley 1, the' guide-roller 17, tension-roller s, and over the guide-rollers c e (1 back to a? That extremity ofthe rope which leads ofi cured to the windingruin 'w of the same from the system. of'com ound pulleys f is seave invented a certain new and userolpe of the system. of compound T e pulley 1", which is moved by t e arma y an endless electric motor which rotates the pulley r For the purpose of enabling the electric motor 5 5 1 to iprform this double function it is provided wit 7 rotatably-journaled armature and with a system of rotatable magnets, which are not positively connected to each other.

The armature g operates the pulley "r, Fig. 60 2,. which drives the endless rope, while the 1* system of magnets'r'n, Fig. 1, actuates' the t ereto-connected winding-drum w for the time 9, is thus rotated in one direction, while the winding-drum w, which is driven by the system of magnets m, is driven in the other (the opposite) direction, as shown by the arrows m Fig. 1-, the rotation of the windingdrum w and the consequent actuation of the system of compound pulleys f taking place only until the tension between the tens1on rollers e c has attained the desired value, so that the endless rope iscorrectly'strained. 7 5

The resistance totension will then be too great to allow the system of magnets, to over come'said: resistance, While the armature g is not interfered with thereb and continues to operate the endless rope,w chisindependent 8 o the-rope of the system of compound pulleys. Instead of the winding-drum a windlass or the like maybe used, and, the transmission of movement from the system of magnets and from the rotating{ armature to the ropes, belts, chains, or the l' by suitable intermediate means, such as e may be efiected rope pulleys, gear-wheels, or the like. In the same mannerI may use instead of the systemof compound pulle s any other tension- 0 producing device whic is actuated bythe system of magnets m By suitably arranging the windings of the I motor and by suitably proportioning the tension in the endless-rope circuit, and in the 9 5 winding-u cord an approximately constant number 0 revolutions may be obtained for the rope-pulleyr, even at the maximum number' of retrograde revolutions of the systems I of magnets and 'of the winding-drum in consequence thereof; Hence in the normal position of the alerts the winding-drum w is not moved. and t e endless-rope circuit has the,

correct-tension, while the cord of the systenfiv v of compound pulleys f iswound up at thesame moment where the tension is released ulleys f.

. less-rope circuit pulls the tension-rollers s s ment.

.away from each other, the winding-up rope 'or cord of the system of compound pulleys f being drawn off from thedrum '11), which at the same timeperforms a retrograde move- The Winding-drum is capable of erforming this kind of movement, in view the oppositely-directed rotating capacity of the system of magnets corresponding only to the definite tensional resistance of the ro e. Thus the windin -up rope or cord is pul ed in the direction 0 rotation of the armature g, and consequently also of the pulley 9", until the tension of the rope in the endless circuit has again arrived at the value which is fixed by the power working at the periphery of the armature of'the motor.

Instead of a single electric motor 0 crating both the endless-rope circuit as wel as the tension device intended for said circuit a sep arate electric motor may also be used for producing the tension of the rope, as shown in diagram in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. In

this form of construction the rotating capacity of the motor is kept constant at any number of revolutions by the centrifugal. regulator or governor h, the regulating or controlling resistances i being included in the electric circuit, the governor h acting upon said 7 resistances i by the displacement of a sweep-. ing contact is, so as to out out and into circuit more or less resistances "L, in accordance with the position of its centrifugal Weights. The centrifugal regulator or governor is actuated in any suitable manner by the medium of the motor for producing the tension of the ro e. lnthe position of rest--that is to say, in

the normal operation of the motor:a resistance is ermanently included-in the circuit before t e armature, so that there is a continuous flow of current through the armature. The endless rope which is taken over the rollers a 1) passes over the rollers 0 s, which constitute the tension producing device, together with the roller Z, which rests upon the rope between the said rollers 0 s. From the roller Z a pulling-rope or the like passes to the winding-drum w, whichisdriven y means of gear-wheels from the armature g of the electric motor. The shaft of one of the pulleysfthat is to say, the shaft ofa in the orm ofconstruction shown by way of ex- V ampleis driven by any suitable motor, en

' The modeof operation of the tension-pros ducing motor in connection with the centrifugal regulator or governor actuated thereby is thereforeas follows in accordancelwith the form of construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4':

h =When the correct tension is imparted to the rope, the-weights of the centrifugal re ulator h and the sweeping contacts 7c, actuate thereby, are in their lowest positions, so that the entire resistance Z is included in the circuit before the armature g. of the tension-producing motor. The total resistance 1'.- is so adjusted that the current now flowing through the armature produces a rotatin ca acity which corresponds precisely to t e esired tension of the ro e without the armature g being capable o rotation. As soon, howin consequence of the movement of the ships the armature g, and consequently also the centrifugal regulator or governor h, are moved, the contact 7c is raised by the regulator and decreases (according to the rotating speed of the armature g) the resistance i, which is included in circuit before the armature 9. At the same timethe winding drum w, Fig. 4, 'pulls the tension-producin rope with the roller Z, and the tension 0 the rope is increased and the armature g rotates slower, the weights of the regulator h and the contact 7c are lowered again until the initial position is again attained, the tension of the rope be ing normal and the armature g being stopped. The procedure is'similar when the tenslon of fixed by the rotating capacity of the armature 9 when at rest. The armature g acts then as a dynamo-armature, inasmuch as it is pulled in the opposite direction of rotation by the tension-producing device, and it operates as a'current-producer-that is to say, in this case it acts to retard the flow of current in the electric conductors. The, cendescribed, but in the opposite direction, and until the pulling of the armature of the motor is released and .until is ceases at last, whereupon the weights of the centrifugal regulator drop back into their initial position. If, m-

moving) rope is to be kept automatically at a constant tension, one end of the ro e is securely fixed, while the other end of t e rope, however, is conducted by way of a guideroller to the winding-drum of an electrlc motor, the operating force of which corresponds to the desired tension of rope, so that in the drumis stopped, while when t e tension is decreased it winds the tension-producing rope up again, and onthe tension becoming excessive it pulls the rope ofi until 1n this case also the tension of the rope has attained the value the armature of the motor.

tersPatent of the United States, is

In an automatic electric cable-ti htener the combination with the endless ban or cable, idle pulleys or drums located in proximever, as the tension of therope is decreasedthe rope exceeds the permissible value as trifugal regulator is then operated as above stead of an endless-rope circuit a resting (not case of a normal tension of ro e the,windingfixed by the force acting at the periphery of What I claim, and desire to secure Let- I whether the tension upon the cable decreases ity to each other overwhich said cable passes,

atake-up pulley riding on said cable between my invention I have signed my name in said first-mentioned pulleys, and electric presence of two subscribing witnesses. means for automatically drawing upon said OTTO ADAM. take-up pulley or releasing it according to Witnesses:

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as PAUL E. SCHILLING. or increases, substantially as described. PAUL ARRAs. 

